From Amsterdam to Berlin
From lowering your carbon footprint to skipping the queues at airport security and avoiding Berlin’s uninspiring airports, the advantages to train travel between Amsterdam and Berlin are countless. Here are our top 5 reasons why you should forget flying and board the train.
1. Find fantastic fares
With fares as low as €39.90 one way (when booked in advance) from any station in the Netherlands to Berlin and from any station in Germany to Amsterdam, rail travel is now remarkably affordable. For under €80, you can depart from and return to your home station – avoiding all airline add-ons, transfer costs and inflated airport price tags. This means that taking the train saves you time and money. For further discounts, consider getting Deutsche Bahn’s BahnCard 25, which gives you 25% off your ticket. First class saver fares are also available and start at €59.90.
2. Have a beer (or two) in the bistro…
Sit back and relax as you grab a bite to eat in the train’s comfy on-board bistro – perhaps a warm croissant, a soup or some pasta with a glass of red wine. All Intercity trains between Amsterdam and Berlin have a restaurant car which offers breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as a selection of drinks and snacks. Enjoy a coffee from a real mug or a beer served directly from the tap. Best of all, your meals are served on real plates with real cutlery, so there’s no waste from the plastic silverware that airlines use!
3. …and take unlimited luggage and drinks
Unlike airlines, train companies don’t restrict the amount of luggage you can take, don’t impose fines on those carrying overweight bags and allow you to take as many liquids as you like. This added flexibility means that you can bring as much you want or even take your own drinks with you. Bring your own bottle of wine and make the journey a memorable one.
4. Get a feel for the countries
The Amsterdam–Berlin route may not be the world’s most scenic, but there are still plenty of things to see from your train window…
Naardermeer
Don’t miss the meadows and marshes of this protected nature reserve, which stretch out like an oasis between the suburbs of Amsterdam and the town of Hilversum.
De Veluwe
Between Amersfoort and Amersfoort you pass through the largest wooded habitat in the Netherlands. Enjoy views of thick forests, quaint villages and other highlights as you cross the River IJssel in Deventer.
Emperor William Monument
Try to spot this colossal structure standing on a hill between Bad Oeynhausen and Minden. The site, which was built in 1896 in honour of the nation’s first emperor, is one of Germany’s major national monuments.
Hannover
This city is full of surprises for you to discover, including the world-famous Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen. So if your ticket is flexible, hop off and get exploring. We’ve listed some of Hannover’s best spots for you.
Volkswagen factories at Wolfsburg
It’s here, near Fallersleben, that the first Volkswagen factory was opened in the late 1930s and from where the legendary German car went on to take the world by storm. Volkswagen’s headquarters are also an iconic sight just north of Wolfsburg station.
Between Wolfsburg and Berlin (through die Altmark)
Enjoy enchanting views of pure, uninterrupted countryside. After Stendal (direction Berlin) you pass the mighty Elbe, one of central Europe’s longest rivers, with impressive flood banks. In spring and summer, the bright yellows of the rapeseed fields also make for a wonderful sight.
5. Arrive in style in the heart of the city
There is no better way to arrive in a city than by train, and this is especially true of Berlin. The Intercity from Amsterdam runs along the monumental Berlin Stadtbahn, a stretch of railway built mostly on brick stone arches dating from 1878. It runs for 11.2 km from Charlottenburg S-Bahn station to Berlin Ostbahnhof, crossing the historical city centre from West to East and passing several major landmarks, including Berlin Zoo, the war-damaged Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the Siegesäule (or Victory Column), the Reichstag and the Berliner Dom before finally crossing the Spree and pulling into Berlin Ostbahnhof, the final destination of the IC Amsterdam–Berlin.
Ga mee railtrippen!
Love this post. Thank you for the inspiration. I m definitely booking that trip in 2020!